The Givatayim Observatory is a public observatory that was founded in 1968 by the
Israeli Astronomical Association and the
Givatayim municipality.
Activities
These are some of the activities taking place in the observatory:
* Public lectures and observations once or twice a week.
*
Israeli Astronomical Association lectures every Thursday.
*
Astronomy courses for adults and children
* Hosting and promoting high school projects
* Bachelor students and high school research activities (e.g.,
near Earth objects,
variable stars,
extrasolar planets)
The observatory is placed on a hill (87m above sea level) inside a public park in
Givatayim (
HaAliya HaShniya Garden). Givatayim is a town adjacent to
Tel Aviv and part of the Greater Tel Aviv region. Because of this location,
the sky is very bright and precludes observation of faint objects.
Equipment
*
Meade 16-
inch
Measuring tape with inches
The inch (symbol: in or ″) is a unit of length in the British imperial and the United States customary systems of measurement. It is equal to yard or of a foot. Derived from the Roman uncia ("twelfth") ...
LX200
Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Mostly used for
astrophotography.
*Meade 12-inch LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Mostly used for public observations.
*Meade 16-inch Starfinder
Newtonian telescope
*6-inch Coude
refractor
*Coronado 40 mm PST
*Various smaller
telescopes
*Meade Deep Sky Imager (color and pro version)
*Meade Pictor 1616
*Meade Lunar-Planetary Imager
*SBIG ST-8 CCD
camera.
The main telescope (16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope) is located in a
dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
and is dedicated to imaging and research. The other telescopes are operated on an observation terrace next to the dome. The sky in Givatayim is highly
light polluted. The situation deteriorated during the last years due to new skyscrapers (
Azrieli Center,
Moshe Aviv Tower
Moshe Aviv Tower ( he, מגדל משה אביב), is a skyscraper located in the demarcated area of the Diamond Exchange District (Israel Diamond Exchange) on Jabotinsky Road (No. 7) in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. The 68-sto ...
, new government building etc.), which are illuminated from below by strong floodlights, sending their light cones into the sky. Moreover, during the last years the bad habit of huge advertisement walls, also illuminated by strong spotlights, became widespread. Many of these spotlights are misdirected, sending their light into the sky.
Between 1984-2016
Dr. Igal Patel was the head of the observatory and of the
Israeli Astronomical Association. Since 2016 Dr. Diana Laufer is the Scientific Director and Shalom Hananya is the Administrative Director.
The observatory staff consists of about dozen people with specialties in different fields, including several young instructors.
See also
*
List of astronomical observatories
References
{{Portal bar, Israel, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science
Astronomical observatories in Israel
Givatayim
1968 establishments in Israel
Buildings and structures in Tel Aviv District
Education in Tel Aviv District
Tourist attractions in Tel Aviv District
Space program of Israel